Arranging for shipment of a package without generating a shipping label

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products are provided for arranging for shipping a package without the customer needing to generate or apply a shipping label, or any other information, to the package. In one embodiment, a system may comprise a carrier server and a carrier device. The carrier server may receive and store a smart code and shipping information associated with the package, which it may link together. The carrier device may capture the smart code from the package and send a request, including the smart code, to the carrier server for related shipping information. The carrier server may receive the request from the carrier device, retrieve the shipping information based on the smart code, and send the shipping information to the carrier device. The carrier device may receive the shipping information and generate a shipping label for the package based on the shipping information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/645,854, filed Mar. 12, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/456,922, filed Apr. 26, 2012, the contents ofboth of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The shipping industry has for years provided a service to customersallowing them to send packages to destinations all around the world. Toenable the shipper to identify, route, and deliver the packagesefficiently to their intended destinations, shippers typically rely onprinting a shipping label that may be applied to the package beforedelivery. The shipping label may indicate information such as the nameand address of the sender, the name and address of the recipient, thetype of delivery service, as well as various other pieces of informationrelated to the delivery of the package. In some cases, the shipper mayinclude one or more special codes, such as bar codes or MaxiCodes, onthe package that may be scanned quickly and easily for routing andtracking purposes as the package is being delivered.

When a customer wants to ship a package using the services provided bythe shipper, the customer typically visits a facility of the shipper toprovide shipping information for the package so that a shipping labelcan be generated. As a result, the customer may face severalinconveniences related to shipping a package, such as searching for anearby facility where the package may be dropped off, traveling to andfrom the facility, and waiting in line at the facility to arrange forshipment of the package. In many instances, a customer may not have thetime or the means to generate a shipping label for the package or totravel to a shipping facility in order to have a shipping labelgenerated.

Thus, there is a need in the art for methods, apparatuses, systems, andcomputer program products for allowing a customer to conveniently ship apackage without requiring the customer to generate a shipping label forthe package.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide improvements overthe known prior art by, among other things, providing methods,apparatuses, systems, and computer program products for arranging forshipping a package without the customer needing to generate or apply ashipping label, or any other information, to the package. In particular,exemplary embodiments of the present invention enable a customer to useany mobile device, such as a smartphone, to capture a smart codeassociated with the package to be shipped, input shipping informationrelated to shipment of the package, and transmit the smart code andshipping information to a carrier server. Subsequently, the customerneed only leave the package at any carrier, or non-carrier, drop-offlocation or schedule pick-up of the package by a carrier. Arepresentative of the carrier may then collect the package, capture thesmart code associated with the package using a carrier device, transmitthe smart code to a carrier server, and receive in response shippinginformation associated with the smart code. Once the shippinginformation is received, the carrier representative may generate andprint a shipping label to be attached to the package. The package isthen ready to be shipped without requiring further information from thecustomer or from the package.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a mobile devicecomprising at least one processor and at least one memory includingcomputer program code is provided. In one embodiment, the at least onememory and the computer program code may be configured to, with theprocessor, cause the mobile device to at least (1) provide an interfacefor inputting shipping information associated with shipment of thepackage; (2) receive input of shipping information from a user; (3)capture an indication of a smart code associated with the package; and(4) transmit the shipping information and the smart code to a carrierserver to be stored in association with each other.

In accordance with another aspect, a carrier server comprising at leastone processor and at least one memory including computer program code isprovided. In one embodiment, the at least one memory and the computerprogram code may be configured to, with the processor, cause the carrierserver to at least (1) receive shipping information and an indication ofa smart code associated with the package from a user device; (2) storeat least one of the shipping information and the smart code; (3) linkthe shipping information to the smart code; (4) receive a request forshipping information for the package from a carrier device, wherein therequest comprises an indication of the smart code associated with thepackage; (5) retrieve the shipping information associated with thepackage based at least in part on the smart code; and (6) transmit theshipping information to the carrier device.

In accordance with yet another aspect, a carrier device comprising atleast one processor and at least one memory including computer programcode is provided. In one embodiment, the at least one memory and thecomputer program code may be configured to, with the processor, causethe carrier device to at least (1) capture an indication of a smart codeassociated with the package; (2) transmit a request to a carrier serverfor shipping information associated with the package, wherein therequest comprises an indication of the smart code; (3) receive theshipping information from the carrier server; and (4) generate ashipping label for the package based at least in part on the shippinginformation.

In accordance with still another aspect, a system for facilitating theshipment of a package, wherein the system comprises a carrier server anda carrier device. The carrier server may be configured to receiveshipping information and an indication of a smart code associated withthe package from a user device, store at least one of the shippinginformation and the smart code, and link the shipping information to thesmart code. Additionally, the carrier device may be configured tocapture an indication of a smart code associated with the package, andtransmit a request to the carrier server for shipping informationassociated with the package, wherein the request comprises an indicationof the smart code. The carrier server may be further configured toreceive the request for shipping information from the carrier device,retrieve the shipping information associated with the package based atleast in part on the smart code, and transmit the shipping informationto the carrier device. In addition, the carrier device may be furtherconfigured to receive the shipping information from the carrier server,and generate a shipping label for the package based at least in part onthe shipping information.

In accordance with still another aspect, a computer program productcomprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium bearingcomputer program code embodied therein for use with a computer isprovided. The computer program code comprises (1) code for providing aninterface for inputting shipping information associated with shipment ofthe package; (2) code for receiving input of shipping information from auser; (3) code for capturing an indication of a smart code associatedwith the package; and (4) code for transmitting the shipping informationand the smart code to a carrier server to be stored in association witheach other.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method forfacilitating the shipment of a package is provided. The method comprises(1) receiving shipping information and an indication of a smart codeassociated with the package from a user device; (2) storing at least oneof the shipping information and the smart code; (3) linking the shippinginformation to the smart code; (4) receiving a request for shippinginformation for the package from a carrier device, wherein the requestcomprises an indication of the smart code associated with the package;(5) retrieving the shipping information associated with the packagebased at least in part on the smart code; and (6) transmitting theshipping information to the carrier device.

In accordance with yet another aspect, a method for facilitating theshipment of a package is provided. The method comprises (1) capturing anindication of a smart code associated with the package; (2) transmittinga request to a carrier server for shipping information associated withthe package, wherein the request comprises an indication of the smartcode; (3) receiving the shipping information from the carrier server;and (4) generating a shipping label for the package based at least inpart on the shipping information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system that can be used to practicevarious embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic of a mobile device in accordance with certainembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic of a carrier server in accordance with certainembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic of a carrier device in accordance with certainembodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 5-7 are flowcharts illustrating operations and processes that canbe used in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of the present invention now will be described morefully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichsome, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, theseinventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicablelegal requirements. The term “or” is used herein in both the alternativeand conjunctive sense, unless otherwise indicated. The terms“illustrative” and “exemplary” are used to be examples with noindication of quality level. Like numbers refer to like elementsthroughout.

I. Methods, Apparatus, Systems, and Computer Program Products

As should be appreciated, the embodiments may be implemented in variousways, including as methods, apparatus, systems, or computer programproducts. Accordingly, the embodiments may take the form of an entirelyhardware embodiment or an embodiment in which a processor is programmedto perform certain steps. Furthermore, the various implementations maytake the form of a computer program product on a computer-readablestorage medium having computer-readable program instructions embodied inthe storage medium. Any suitable computer-readable storage medium may beutilized including hard disks, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, ormagnetic storage devices.

Particular embodiments are described below with reference to blockdiagrams and flowchart illustrations of methods, apparatus, systems, andcomputer program products. It should be understood that each block ofthe block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, respectively, may beimplemented in part by computer program instructions, e.g., as logicalsteps or operations executing on a processor in a computing system.These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer, suchas a special purpose computer or other programmable data processingapparatus to produce a specifically-configured machine, such that theinstructions which execute on the computer or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus implement the functions specified in the flowchartblock or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including computer-readableinstructions for implementing the functionality specified in theflowchart block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also beloaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatusto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computeror other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implementedprocess such that the instructions that execute on the computer or otherprogrammable apparatus provide operations for implementing the functionsspecified in the flowchart block or blocks.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrationssupport various combinations for performing the specified functions,combinations of operations for performing the specified functions andprogram instructions for performing the specified functions. It shouldalso be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchartillustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams andflowchart illustrations, can be implemented by special purposehardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions oroperations, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions.

II. Exemplary System Architecture

FIG. 1 provides an illustration of a system architecture that can beused in conjunction with various embodiments of the present invention.As shown in FIG. 1, the system architecture may include one or moremobile devices 101. For instance, the mobile devices 101 may besmartphone devices, mobile telephones, mobile computers, portabledigital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, gaming devices, electronictablets, and other types of similar electronic devices. In addition, invarious embodiments, the mobile devices 101 may include digital imagingcapabilities. For example, the mobile devices 101 may comprise a camera,barcode scanner, optical scanner, and/or the like.

The system 10 of FIG. 1 may further comprise one or more deliveryvehicles 100, one or more carrier servers 104, one or more carrierdevices 105, one or more Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites 115,one or more networks 135, and/or the like. Each of the components of thesystem 10 may be in electronic communication with (directly orindirectly), for example, one another over the same or differentwireless or wired networks including, for example, a wired or wirelessPersonal Area Network (PAN), Local Area Network (LAN), Metropolitan AreaNetwork (MAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), cellular network, or the like.

It should be noted that other system architectures are contemplated thatmay be used to practice various aspects of the invention. Thus, thesystem architecture provided in FIG. 1 is for illustrative purposes onlyand should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention.Further, while FIG. 1 illustrates certain system entities as separate,standalone entities, the various embodiments are not limited to thisparticular architecture.

a. Exemplary Mobile Device

FIG. 2 provides a schematic diagram of a mobile device 101 according toone embodiment of the present invention. In this particular instance,the mobile device 101 is a smartphone. However, it should be understoodthat the mobile device 101 illustrated and hereinafter described ismerely illustrative of one type of device that may implement and/orbenefit from various embodiments and, therefore, should not be taken tolimit the scope of the invention. Thus, it should be noted that othertypes of electronic devices, such as mobile telephones, mobilecomputers, portable digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, gamingdevices, electronic tablets, and other types of similar electronicdevices, may employ various embodiments of the invention.

As shown, the mobile device 101 may include an antenna 212 (or multipleantennas 212) in communication with a transmitter 214 and a receiver216. The mobile device 101 may also include a processor 220 (e.g.,application processor and/or graphics processor) configured to providesignals to and receive signals from the transmitter 214 and receiver216, respectively.

The processor 220 may, for example, be embodied as variousconfigurations including circuitry, one or more microprocessors withaccompanying digital signal processor(s), one or more processor(s)without an accompanying digital signal processor, one or morecoprocessors, one or more multi-core processors, one or morecontrollers, processing circuitry, one or more computers, various otherprocessing elements including integrated circuits such as, for example,an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) or FPGA (fieldprogrammable gate array), or some combination thereof. Accordingly,although illustrated in FIG. 2 as a single processor, in someembodiments the processor 220 comprises a plurality of processors.

The signals sent and received by the processor 220 may include signalinginformation in accordance with an air interface standard of anapplicable cellular system, and/or any number of different wirelessnetworking techniques, comprising but not limited to Wi-Fi, wirelesslocal access network (WLAN) techniques such as Bluetooth™ (BT),Ultra-wideband (UWB), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE) 802.11, 802.16, and/or the like. In addition, these signals mayinclude speech data, user generated data, user requested data, and/orthe like.

In this regard, the mobile device 101 may be capable of operating withone or more air interface standards, communication protocols, modulationtypes, access types, and/or the like. More particularly, the mobiledevice 101 may be capable of operating in accordance with various firstgeneration (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, third-generation (3G)communication protocols, fourth-generation (4G) communication protocols,Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) communication protocols(for example, session initiation protocol (SIP)), and/or the like. Forexample, the mobile device 101 may be capable of operating in accordancewith 2G wireless communication protocols IS-136 (Time Division MultipleAccess (TDMA)), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), IS-95(Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)), and/or the like. Also, forexample, the mobile device 101 may be capable of operating in accordancewith 2.5G wireless communication protocols General Packet Radio Service(GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), and/or the like. Further,for example, the mobile device 101 may be capable of operating inaccordance with 3G wireless communication protocols such as UniversalMobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Code Division Multiple Access2000 (CDMA2000), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), TimeDivision-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), and/orthe like. The mobile device 101 may be additionally capable of operatingin accordance with 3.9G wireless communication protocols such as LongTerm Evolution (LTE) or Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio AccessNetwork (E-UTRAN) and/or the like. Additionally, for example, the mobiledevice 101 may be capable of operating in accordance withfourth-generation (4G) wireless communication protocols such as LTEAdvanced and/or the like as well as similar wireless communicationprotocols that may be developed in the future.

Some Narrow-band Advanced Mobile Phone System (NAMPS), as well as TotalAccess Communication System (TACS), mobile devices 101 may also benefitfrom embodiments of this invention, as should dual or higher mode phones(for example, digital/analog or TDMA/CDMA/analog phones). Additionally,the mobile device 101 may be capable of operating according to Wi-Fi orWorldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) protocols.

It is understood that the processor 220 may comprise circuitry forimplementing audio/video and logic functions of the mobile device 101.For example, the processor 220 may comprise a digital signal processordevice, a microprocessor device, an analog-to-digital converter, adigital-to-analog converter, and/or the like. Control and signalprocessing functions of the mobile device 101 may be allocated betweenthese devices according to their respective capabilities. Additionally,the processor 220 may comprise an internal voice coder (VC) 220 a, aninternal data modem (DM) 220 b, and/or the like. Further, the processor220 may comprise functionality to operate one or more software programs,which may be stored in memory. For example, the processor 220 may becapable of operating a connectivity program, such as a web browser. Theconnectivity program may allow the mobile device 101 to transmit andreceive web content, such as location-based content, according to aprotocol, such as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), hypertexttransfer protocol (HTTP), and/or the like. The mobile device 101 may becapable of using a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol(TCP/IP) to transmit and receive web content across the internet orother networks.

The mobile device 101 may also comprise a user interface including, forexample, an earphone or speaker 224, a ringer 222, a microphone 226, adisplay 228, a camera 232, a user input interface, and/or the like,which may be operationally coupled to the processor 220. In this regard,the processor 220 may comprise user interface circuitry configured tocontrol at least some functions of one or more elements of the userinterface, such as, for example, the speaker 224, the ringer 222, themicrophone 226, the display 228, the camera 232, and/or the like. Theprocessor 220 and/or user interface circuitry comprising the processor220 may be configured to control one or more functions of one or moreelements of the user interface through computer program instructions(for example, software and/or firmware) stored on memory accessible tothe processor 220 (for example, volatile memory 240, non-volatile memory242, and/or the like). Although not shown, the mobile device 101 maycomprise a battery for powering various circuits related to the mobiledevice 101, for example, a circuit to provide mechanical vibration as adetectable output. The user input interface may comprise devicesallowing the mobile device 101 to receive data, such as a keypad 230, atouch display (not shown), a joystick (not shown), and/or other inputdevice. In embodiments including a keypad, the keypad may comprisenumeric (0-9) and related keys (#, *), and/or other keys for operatingthe mobile device 101.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile device 101 may also include one or morecomponents for sharing and/or obtaining data. For example, the mobiledevice 101 may comprise a short-range radio frequency (RF) transceiverand/or interrogator 264 so data may be shared with and/or obtained fromelectronic devices in accordance with RF techniques. The mobile device101 may comprise other short-range transceivers, such as, for example,an infrared (IR) transceiver 266, a Bluetooth (BT) transceiver 268operating using Bluetooth™ brand wireless technology developed by theBluetooth™ Special Interest Group, a wireless universal serial bus (USB)transceiver 270 and/or the like. The Bluetooth™ transceiver 268 may becapable of operating according to low power or ultra-low powerBluetooth™ technology (for example, Wibree™) radio standards. In thisregard, the mobile device 101 and, in particular, the short-rangetransceiver may be capable of transmitting data to and/or receiving datafrom electronic devices within a proximity of the mobile device 101,such as within 10 meters, for example. Although not shown, the mobiledevice 101 may be capable of transmitting and/or receiving data fromelectronic devices according to various wireless networking techniques,including 6LoWpan, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi low power, WLAN techniques such as IEEE802.11 techniques, IEEE 802.15 techniques, IEEE 802.16 techniques,and/or the like.

The mobile device 101 may comprise memory, such as a subscriber identitymodule (SIM) 238, a removable user identity module (R-UIM), and/or thelike, which may store information elements related to a mobilesubscriber. In addition to the SIM 238, the mobile device 101 maycomprise other removable and/or fixed memory. The mobile device 101 mayinclude volatile memory 240 and/or non-volatile memory 242. For example,volatile memory 240 may include Random Access Memory (RAM) includingdynamic and/or static RAM, on-chip or off-chip cache memory, and/or thelike. Non-volatile memory 242, which may be embedded and/or removable,may include, for example, read-only memory, flash memory, magneticstorage devices (for example, hard disks, floppy disk drives, magnetictape, etc.), optical disc drives and/or media, non-volatile randomaccess memory (NVRAM), and/or the like. Like volatile memory 240,non-volatile memory 242 may include a cache area for temporary storageof data. The memories may store one or more applications (e.g., softwareprograms), instructions, pieces of information, data, and/or the likewhich may be used by the mobile device 101 for performing functions ofthe mobile device 101. For instance, as described in greater detailbelow, one or more of the memories on the device 101 may store a smartcode application 250 in various embodiments that performs variousaspects of the claimed invention.

b. Exemplary Carrier Server

FIG. 3 provides a schematic of a carrier server 104 according to oneembodiment of the present invention. In general, the term “server” mayrefer to, for example, any computer, computing device, mobile phone,desktop, notebook or laptop, distributed system, server, blade, gateway,switch, processing device, or combination of processing devices adaptedto perform the functions described herein. As will be understood fromthis figure, in one embodiment, the carrier server 104 may include aprocessor 60 that communicates with other elements within the carrierserver 104 via a system interface or bus 61. The processor 60 may beembodied in a number of different ways. For example, the processor 60may be embodied as one or more processing elements, one or moremicroprocessors with accompanying digital signal processors, one or moreprocessors without accompanying digital signal processors, one or morecoprocessors, one or more multi-core processors, one or morecontrollers, and/or various other processing devices includingintegrated circuits such as, for example, an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), ahardware accelerator, and/or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the processor 60 may be configured toexecute instructions stored in the device memory or otherwise accessibleto the processor 60. As such, whether configured by hardware or softwaremethods, or by a combination thereof, the processor 60 may represent anentity capable of performing operations according to embodiments of thepresent invention when configured accordingly. A display device/inputdevice 64 for receiving and displaying data may also be included in orassociated with the carrier server 104. The display device/input device64 may be, for example, a keyboard or pointing device that is used incombination with a monitor. The carrier server 104 may further includetransitory and non-transitory memory 65, which may include both randomaccess memory (RAM) 67 and read only memory (ROM) 66. The carrierserver's ROM 66 may be used to store a basic input/output system (BIOS)26 containing the basic routines that help to transfer information tothe different elements within the carrier server 104.

In addition, in one embodiment, the carrier server 104 may include atleast one storage device 63, such as a hard disk drive, a CD drive, aDVD drive, and/or an optical disk drive for storing information onvarious computer-readable media. The storage device(s) 63 and itsassociated computer-readable media may provide nonvolatile storage. Thecomputer-readable media described above could be replaced by any othertype of computer-readable media, such as embedded or removablemultimedia memory cards (MMCs), secure digital (SD) memory cards, MemorySticks, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM),flash memory, hard disk, and/or the like. Additionally, each of thesestorage devices 63 may be connected to the system bus 61 by anappropriate interface.

Furthermore, a number of executable instructions, applications, scripts,program modules, and/or the like may be stored by the various storagedevices 63 and/or within RAM 67. Such executable instructions,applications, scripts, program modules, and/or the like may include anoperating system 80 and a data processing application 85. As discussedin greater detail below, this application 85 may control certain aspectsof the operation of the carrier server 104 with the assistance of theprocessor 60 and operating system 80, although its functionality neednot be modularized. In addition to the program modules, the carrierserver 104 may store and/or be in communication with one or moredatabases, such as database 90.

Also located within and/or associated with the carrier server 104, inone embodiment, is a network interface 74 for interfacing with variouscomputing entities. This communication may be via the same or differentwired or wireless networks (or a combination of wired and wirelessnetworks), as discussed above. For instance, the communication may beexecuted using a wired data transmission protocol, such as fiberdistributed data interface (FDDI), digital subscriber line (DSL),Ethernet, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), frame relay, data over cableservice interface specification (DOCSIS), and/or any other wiredtransmission protocol. Similarly, the carrier server 104 may beconfigured to communicate via wireless external communication networksusing any of a variety of protocols, such as 802.11, GSM, EDGE, GPRS,UMTS, CDMA2000, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, LTE, E-UTRAN, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, UWB, NAMPS,TACS and/or any other wireless protocol.

It will be appreciated that one or more of the carrier server's 104components may be located remotely from other carrier server 104components. Furthermore, one or more of the components may be combinedand additional components performing functions described herein may beincluded in the carrier server 104.

c. Exemplary Carrier Device

With respect to the carrier device 105, FIG. 4 provides an illustrativeschematic representative of a carrier device 105 that can be used inconjunction with the embodiments of the present invention (e.g., acarrier device 105 carried by an operator of a delivery vehicle 100). Insome embodiments, a carrier device 105 may be configured to comprise anyor all of the hardware and provide some or all of the functionalitydescribed above with regard to the example mobile device 101 of FIG. 2.In example embodiments, the carrier device 105 may be a DeliveryInformation Acquisition Device (DIAD), such as that used by UnitedParcel Service (UPS®). As shown in FIG. 4, the carrier device 105 maycomprise an antenna 412, a transmitter 404, a receiver 406, and aprocessing device 408, e.g., a processor, controller, and/or the like,that provides signals to and receives signals from the transmitter 404and receiver 406, respectively.

The signals provided to and received from the transmitter 404 and thereceiver 406, respectively, may include signaling information inaccordance with an air interface standard of applicable wireless (orwired) systems. In this regard, the carrier device 105 may be capable ofoperating with one or more air interface standards, communicationprotocols, modulation types, and access types. More particularly, thecarrier device 105 may operate in accordance with any of a number ofsecond-generation (2G) communication protocols, third-generation (3G)communication protocols, and/or the like. Further, for example, thecarrier device 105 may operate in accordance with any of a number ofdifferent wireless networking techniques, such as GPRS, GSM, EDGE, UMTS,CDMA2000, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, LTE, E-UTRAN, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, UWB, NAMPS, TACS,and/or any other wireless protocol. Via these communication standardsand protocols, the carrier device 105 can communicate with the carrierserver 104 and/or various other entities.

The carrier device 105 may also comprise a user interface (that caninclude a display 416 coupled to a processing device 408) and/or a userinput interface (coupled to the processing device 408). The user inputinterface can comprise any of a number of devices allowing the carrierdevice 105 to receive data, such as a keypad 418, a touch display 420,barcode reader 430, RFID tag reader 432, and/or other input device. Inembodiments including a keypad 418, the keypad 418 can include theconventional numeric (0-9) and related keys (#, *), and other keys usedfor operating the carrier device 105 and may include a full set ofalphabetic keys or set of keys that may be activated to provide a fullset of alphanumeric keys. In addition to providing input, the user inputinterface can be used, for example, to activate and/or deactivatecertain functions, such as screen savers and/or sleep modes. Althoughnot shown, the carrier device 105 may also include a battery, such as avibrating battery pack, for powering the various circuits that arerequired to operate the carrier device 105, as well as optionallyproviding mechanical vibration as a detectable output. The carrierdevice 105 may further include a printing device that may be utilizedfor printing various items, such as shipping labels and/or receipts.

The carrier device 105 can also include volatile memory 422 and/ornon-volatile memory 424, which can be embedded or may be removable. Forexample, the non-volatile memory may be embedded or removable MMCs, SDmemory cards, Memory Sticks, EEPROM, flash memory, hard disk, and/or thelike. The memory can store any of a number of pieces or amount ofinformation and data used by the carrier device 105 to implement thefunctions of the carrier device 105. The memories may store one or moreapplications (e.g., software programs), instructions, pieces ofinformation, data, and/or the like which may be used by the carrierdevice 105 for performing functions of the carrier device 105. Forinstance, as described in greater detail below, one or more of thememories on the carrier device 105 may store a shipping labelapplication 440 in various embodiments that performs various aspects ofthe claimed invention. The carrier device 105 may also include a GPSmodule adapted to acquire, for example, latitude, longitude, altitude,geocode, course, speed, universal time (UTC), date, and/or telematicsinformation/data. In one embodiment, the GPS module acquires data,sometimes known as ephemeris data, by identifying the number ofsatellites in view and the relative positions of those satellites.

III. Exemplary System Operation

According to various embodiments, a user may desire to ship a packagefrom a location and/or at a time when the user may not be able togenerate and apply a shipping label. That is, a user may need to ship apackage from a location other than a carrier facility where shippinglabels can be generated and printed. For example, a user may be at ahotel and need to drop off a package for shipment before departing. Inanother example, a user may go to a carrier facility but not have timeto wait in line for a representative to assist with preparing andprinting a shipping label. In either instance, the user may utilize amobile device 101 and a package or pre-printed label having anassociated smart code to both provide shipping information to theshipper and associate that shipping information with the package. Theuser may then simply drop off the package at a particular location wherethe carrier may collect the package, capture the smart code to retrievethe associated shipping data, prepare and affix a shipping label basedon the shipping information, and continue shipping the package. Variousembodiments of the present invention will be described in greater detailbelow with reference to FIGS. 5-7.

According to example embodiments, a user may obtain a package having anassociated smart code for use in shipping an item. It should be notedthat the term “package” or “package material” may also refer to anenvelope, bag, box, freight, or any other container or receptacle usedto ship an item. The carrier may, in certain instances, provide thepackages with associated smart codes to the user. For example, thecarrier may make available a number of envelopes (e.g. express shippingenvelopes), shipping forms (e.g., Air Shipping Documents), and/or thelike with pre-associated smart codes at one or more carrier facilities.As another example, the carrier may distribute the packages withpre-associated smart codes at package drop-off or collection locations.The user may retain a number of packages having pre-associated smartcodes for future shipping needs. In this way, a user may keep varioussmart code packages at certain locations (e.g., at home, at the office,in the car, etc.) to avoid the need to travel to a carrier facility eachtime they wish to ship an item.

In other embodiments, the carrier may provide one or more pre-printedlabels comprising an indication of a smart code to be associated with apackage. In this regard, a user may apply the smart code label to anypackage, even those not provided by a carrier. The carrier may make thepre-printed smart code labels available at various carrier facilities,drop-off locations, and/or the like. Similar to embodiments employingthe smart code packages, a user may obtain a number of smart code labelsthat can be stored in various locations or kept with the user to enablethe user to have access to the smart code labels at any time. It shouldbe understood that the following embodiments described below withrespect to smart code packages may similarly be implemented using smartcode labels affixed to packages. In some embodiments, the smart codepackages may simply be packages with pre-applied smart code labels.

As previously indicated, the package of various embodiments may comprisean indication of a smart code. The smart code may be represented by abarcode, MaxiCode, Quick Response (QR) code, optical code, and/or thelike. In some embodiments, the smart code may be associated with anyother type of code or label that may be associated with a package, suchas a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, an electronic sensor,and/or the like. In some instances, the smart code may additionally oralternatively contain numeric or alphanumeric text or other forms oftext. For example, the same smart code may be represented by both amachine-readable optical code and its human-readable numeric oralphanumeric text string equivalent. In other examples, the smart codemay be represented by a combination of the machine-readable optical codeand the human-readable numeric or alphanumeric text string. According toexample embodiments, the smart code may comprise one or more checkdigits or parity bits. In this regard, a function (e.g., a checksumfunction, hash function, and/or the like) may be applied to the smartcode to verify its validity.

In various embodiments, the smart code may be used to uniquely identifythe package with which it is associated. The smart code representationassociated with the package may be distinguishable from other opticalcodes that may be associated with a package, even in an instance inwhich the other optical code is of the same type as the smart coderepresentation. For example, a package may at some point during shipmentcontain two MaxiCodes, one associated with the smart code and oneassociated with the shipping label. In this example, the smart codeMaxiCode may be encoded in such a way so that it may be differentiatedfrom the shipping label MaxiCode, such as by encoding the two MaxiCodesaccording to different MaxiCode modes. In this regard, the informationencoded in the smart code MaxiCode may not cause confusion in thedownstream shipping process because it may be easily distinguished fromthe shipping label MaxiCode.

a. Exemplary Mobile Device Operation

As previously discussed, in various embodiments, the mobile device 101may include a smart code application 250 configured to perform variousfunctions of the claimed invention. FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart ofexemplary functionality of the smart code application 250 for allowing auser to use a mobile device 101 along with a package or label having anassociated smart code to provide shipping information for the package sothat the package may be collected and delivered without the userapplying a shipping label, according to various embodiments. Thisflowchart may correspond to the operations carried out by the processor220 of the mobile device 101 shown in FIG. 2 as the processor 220executes the smart code application 250 according to variousembodiments. In other embodiments, a fixed, or non-mobile, device may beused in place of or in addition to the mobile device 101 to perform oneor more of the functions in the embodiments described below with respectto a mobile device 101.

In operation 500, the mobile device 101 may be configured to receive arequest to access the smart code application 250. It should beunderstood that the term “smart code application 250” may refer to a webpage (e.g., an HTML web page or Mobile Web page), web application (e.g.,a Java™ applet or JavaScript application), mobile application (e.g., asmartphone app), and/or the like that may be accessed by a user via amobile device 101. In instances in which the smart code application 250is embodied as a web page or web applications, the mobile device 101 mayreceive user input in the form of a web address (e.g., a URL). In otherinstances in which the smart code application 250 is embodied as amobile application, the mobile device 101 may receive an input selectingthe mobile application from a list of available mobile applications. Inthese instances, the mobile device 101 may receive a request from a userto download and install the mobile application prior to receiving aselection of the mobile application.

According to example embodiments, the user may receive informationrelated to the smart code application 250 from the carrier. In certainembodiments, the carrier may indicate to a user the address of the webpage or web application (i.e., URL) and/or the name or download addressof the mobile application by associating an indication of the address orname with the smart code package. For example, the smart coderepresentation associated with the smart code package may furthercomprise an encoded indication of a link to the web page/web applicationaddress or mobile application name. In another example, the address orname may be printed on the smart code package or label separate from theencoded portion of the smart code. The carrier may, in yet anotherexample, advertise the web page/web application address or mobileapplication name at a location where smart code packages are madeavailable, such as at a drop-off location or carrier facility. Forinstance, a receptacle at a drop-off location may include an advertisingcode (e.g., barcode, MaxiCode, and/or the like) that may be scannedusing the mobile device 101. In these instances, once the mobile device101 scans the advertising code, the mobile device 101 may eitherautomatically navigate to the web page/web application for enteringshipping information or automatically launch the mobile application. Themobile device 101 may also download and install the mobile applicationprior to launching in instances in which the mobile application is notyet loaded on the mobile device 101.

In operation 505, the smart code application 250 may request and receivelogin information from a user for accessing a shipping profileassociated with the user. In this regard, a user may have previouslycreated a shipping profile and established a login and password for theprofile. In embodiments where a user does not yet have a shippingprofile, the smart code application 250 may request information from auser to create a new shipping profile. The smart code application 250,in operation 510, may use the login information to authenticate the userand provide access to the shipping profile. For example, the smart codeapplication 250 may transmit the login information to an authenticationserver (e.g., the carrier server 104). In response to (e.g., after)transmitting the login information, the smart code application 250 maybe configured to receive authentication information and/or shippingprofile information from the server. The smart code application 250 maytemporarily store the received shipping profile information and/ordisplay the shipping profile information to the user.

In operation 515, the smart code application 250 may request and receiveshipping information related to the shipment of a package. For example,the smart code application 250 may provide an interface to the userwhere the user may input shipping information. The requested shippinginformation may comprise information related to the user shipping thepackage (e.g., name, work address, company, home address, country, phonenumber(s), email address(es), and/or the like), information related tothe recipient of the package (e.g., name, destination address,indication of business or residence, company, country, phone number(s),email address(es), and/or the like), information related to the payer(e.g., name, customer account number, invoice number, reference number,credit or debit card information, billing address, and/or the like),information related to the package itself (e.g., package type, weight,dimensions, declared value, insurance information, number of packages,and/or the like), information related to shipment of the package (e.g.,drop-off location, pick-up location, service type (e.g., same day, nextday, two day, three day, express, priority, ground, first class, secondclass, and/or the like), shipping date, and/or the like), and/or anyother information related to shipping a package. In some embodiments,the smart code application 250 interface may allow a user to requestand/or schedule pick-up of the package to be shipped.

In example embodiments, the smart code application 250 may provide forstorage of the input shipping information, for example in the user'sshipping profile. In this regard, the smart code application 250 may beconfigured to store in the user's shipping profile any of the shippinginformation referenced above so that a user does not need to re-enterinformation each time the user wishes to prepare a package for shipment.For example, the smart code application 250 may store the user's addressand payment information and/or one or more contacts for commonly usedrecipients in the shipping profile. The smart code application 250 may,in certain instances, store various user preferences, such as preferredshipping method, preferred payment method, and/or the like, in theshipping profile. In some embodiments, the smart code application 250may associate one or more preferences with one or more stored contactsin the shipping profile. For example, the smart code application 250 maystore a preferred shipping method when shipping to a particularrecipient. The smart code application 250 may be configured to store theuser profile information locally (e.g., on the mobile device 101) orremotely (e.g., on the carrier server 104).

In operation 520, the smart code application 250 may be configured tocapture the smart code associated with a smart code package or label. Insome embodiments, the smart code application 250 may utilize the cameraof the mobile device 101 to capture a photograph of the smart coderepresentation associated with the package to be shipped. In otherembodiments, the mobile device 101 may comprise a barcode scanner orother optical scanning device, which the smart code application 250 mayuse to capture the smart code. The smart code application 250 may beconfigured to decode the smart code from the encoded smart coderepresentation associated with the package scanned by the mobile device101. In other embodiments, the smart code may remain encoded in thesmart code application 250 after being captured. According toembodiments where the smart code representation is associated with asmart code label rather than a smart code package, the user mayassociate the smart code label with the package (e.g., affix the labelto the package) prior to or after capturing the smart code from thelabel.

According to certain embodiments, the smart code application 250 maycapture the smart code prior to any of the other operations describedabove. For example, the smart code application 250 may capture the smartcode from the package prior to receiving the shipping informationassociated with the package from the user. In some embodiments, the usermay scan or capture the smart code representation using the mobiledevice 101 prior to accessing the smart code application 250. In theseinstances, the mobile device 101 may automatically open or launch thesmart code application 250 in response to (e.g., after) capturing thesmart code representation.

In operation 525, the smart code application 250 may provide fortransmission of the smart code and/or the shipping information to aserver (e.g., the carrier server 104). In this regard, the smart codeapplication 250 may provide the smart code and shipping information sothat they may be associated together at the server. The smart code maybe either encoded or decoded when it is provided to the server by thesmart code application 250.

In operation 530, the smart code application 250 may optionally receiveconfirmation of receipt of the smart code and shipping information. Insome embodiments, the confirmation may provide an additionalverification number (e.g., a confirmation number or customer number). Inthese embodiments, the smart code application 250 may display theverification number so that it may be associated with the smart codepackage to be shipped. For example, the smart code application 250 mayreceive a verification number that is distinct from the smart code,display the verification number to the user, and the user may write theverification number on the smart code package. The verification numbermay be used as an error check or confirmation later in the shippingprocess. In other embodiments, the user may not need to associate anyfurther information with the smart code package once the smart codeapplication 250 transmits the smart code and shipping information to theserver.

In operation 535, the smart code application 250 may identify a drop-offlocation for the smart code package. In some embodiments, the smart codeapplication 250 may utilize the geolocation services of the mobiledevice 101 to determine the current location of the user, for example byreceiving data from one or more GPS satellites 115. The smart codeapplication 250 may use the current location of the user to accessinformation about nearby drop-off locations, for example by requestingthe drop-off location information from the network or from a server(e.g., carrier server 104).

The user may, in certain embodiments, leave the package at a publiclocation not associated with a drop-off point (e.g., a hotel front desk,an airport terminal kiosk, and/or the like). In this regard, the smartcode application 250 may provide the location information (e.g.,geolocation information) of the mobile device 101 to the carrier server104 so that the carrier may schedule a pick-up at or near the location.In these embodiments, the smart code application 250 may requestadditional information from the user related to the drop-off point(e.g., a description of the drop-off location or a photo of the drop-offlocation). The smart code application 250 may transmit all or part ofthe drop-off location information to a server (e.g., the carrier server104) to provide sufficient information for the carrier to locate andcollect the package for shipment.

In the embodiments described above with respect to the exemplary mobiledevice 101 operations performed by the smart code application 250, theuser may not be required to write anything on or apply anything to thepackage to be shipped, aside from applying the smart code label ininstances in which the smart code is not pre-associated with thepackage. That is, the user may simply scan the smart code representationpre-associated with the package using the mobile device 101, enter theshipping information for the package into the smart code application 250on the mobile device 101, and send the smart code and shippinginformation to the carrier (e.g., carrier server) via the smart codeapplication 250. At this point, the user need only drop off the packagefor collection by the carrier, who will later apply a shipping label tothe package using the smart code and shipping information sent to thecarrier and associated with the package.

It should be noted that the operations described above with respect tothe mobile device 101 may be performed with a non-mobile device. Forexample, a user may capture the smart code representation using anydevice (e.g., barcode scanner, camera, and/or the like), transfer thesmart code representation to a non-mobile device (e.g., a desktopcomputer having a network connection), and input the shippinginformation on a smart code application 250 operating on the non-mobiledevice. The smart code application 250 on the non-mobile device may thentransmit the smart code and/or shipping information to a server (e.g.,the carrier server 104).

b. Exemplary Carrier Server Operations

In various embodiments, the common carrier's system may include one ormore carrier servers 104 configured to perform various functions of theclaimed invention. For instance, the carrier's system may include acarrier server 104 that includes a data processing application 85 forprocessing the data received from smart code application 250 s operatingon one or more mobile devices 101 as well as other information receivedfor the corresponding packages to be shipped. FIG. 6 illustrates aflowchart of the functionality of the data processing application 85 forprocessing smart code data and shipping information for a packagereceived from a user's mobile device 101, according to variousembodiments. This flowchart may correspond to the steps carried out bythe processor 60 of the server 104 shown in FIG. 3 as the processor 60executes the data processing application 85 according to variousembodiments.

In operation 600, the data processing application 85 may be configuredto receive smart code data and shipping information from a mobile device101. The shipping information may comprise any information related tothe shipment of a package, including any or all of the shippinginformation described above with respect to FIG. 5. The smart code datamay comprise an encoded or unencoded representation of a smart codeuniquely associated with a package to be shipped. For example, the smartcode data may comprise an indication of a unique numeric or alphanumericcode used to identify a particular package. In an embodiment in whichthe smart code received is encoded, the data processing application 85may be configured to decode the smart code. In certain embodiments, thedata processing application 85 may verify that the smart code receivedis a valid smart code. The data processing application 85, according toexample embodiments, may send the mobile device 101 a confirmationnumber signifying that the information has been received such that, insome instances, the user of the mobile device 101 may associate theconfirmation number with the package for future verification purposesdescribed below.

In operation 605, the data processing application 85 may be configuredto store the smart code data and/or shipping information. For example,the data processing application 85 may be configured to store the smartcode data and/or shipping information in one or more storage devices(e.g., database 90). In some embodiments, a list of all smart codes maybe maintained by the data processing application 85, for example in thedatabase 90. In these embodiments, the data processing application 85may not store the received smart code data, which may be redundant tothe previously stored smart codes. Rather, the data processingapplication 85 may simply store the shipping information so that it maybe later linked to a previously stored smart code. According to certainembodiments, the smart code data may be maintained in a first storagedevice and the shipping information may be maintained in a second (i.e.,separate) storage device.

In operation 610, the data processing application 85 may link the smartcode data to the shipping information. For example, the data processingapplication 85 may be configured to store the smart code data andshipping information together in a storage device (e.g., database 90) sothat they are linked or mapped to one another. In another example, thedata processing application 85 may be configured to store the smart codedata and shipping information separately but linked together, forinstance by a mapping. According to embodiments where all smart codesare maintained in a storage device by the data processing application85, the data processing application 85 may be configured to associatewith the particular smart code associated with the smart code data alink or mapping to the received shipping information.

In operation 615, the data processing application 85 may receive arequest from a mobile device 101 for information related to a drop-offpoint for the package associated with the smart code data and shippinginformation. For example, the request may comprise an indication of thelocation of the mobile device 101 or package, as explained above withrespect to operation 535 of FIG. 5. The data processing application 85may utilize the location information to determine one or more packagedrop-off locations (e.g., carrier facilities, drop boxes, and/or thelike) proximate the location provided. In some embodiments, the dataprocessing application 85 may provide information related to thedrop-off locations to the mobile device 101. For example, the dataprocessing application 85 may provide address information, mapinformation (e.g., location coordinates, web page links to mappingservices, map images, and/or the like), hours of operation, pick-uptimes, directions to the drop-off location from the location of themobile device 101 or package, and/or the like.

According to some embodiments, the data processing application 85 may beconfigured to locate one or more delivery vehicles 100 proximate thelocation of the mobile device 101 or package that may be able to collectthe package for delivery. In this regard, the data processingapplication 85 may be configured to schedule pick-up of the package at alocation at or near the location of the mobile device 101 or package.The data processing application 85 may receive scheduling informationfrom the mobile device 101, for example in an instance in which the userhas a preferred pick-up time or location, to assist the data processingapplication 85 in scheduling the pick-up. In these embodiments, the dataprocessing application 85 may provide a response to the mobile device101 indicating that a pick-up has been scheduled and, in certaininstances, providing information related to the scheduled pick-upservice.

In operation 620, the data processing application 85 of the carrierserver 104 may be configured to receive a request for shippinginformation from a carrier device 105. In this regard, the request maycomprise an indication of a smart code (e.g., an encoded or unencodedsmart code representation) associated with the package for whichshipping information is requested. As in operation 600, in embodimentsin which the smart code received is encoded, the data processingapplication 85 may be configured to decode the smart code. In variousembodiments, the data processing application 85 may verify that thesmart code received is a valid smart code. For example, the dataprocessing application 85 may apply a checksum function or hash functionto the smart code, in some instances based on a check digit or paritybit included in the smart code.

In operation 625, the data processing application 85 may retrieve therequested shipping information based at least in part on the smart codein the request. The request may, in certain instances, request only asubset of the available shipping information associated with the smartcode. In some embodiments, the data processing application 85 mayperform a lookup in a shipping information database (e.g., database 90)using the smart code. In other embodiments, the data processingapplication 85 may locate the received smart code in a database, obtaina mapping to the shipping information stored in association with thesmart code, and retrieve the shipping information based on the mapping.It should be noted that any number of methods for retrieving therequested shipping information using the received smart code data may beused without departing from the scope of the invention, at least due tothe various ways the data processing application 85 may be configured tostore and link the smart code with the shipping data in operations 605and 610.

In operation 630, the data processing application 85 may send therequested shipping information to the carrier device 105. In someembodiments, the data processing application 85 may include aconfirmation number associated with the shipping information to use inverifying the package. For example, the user may have been given aconfirmation number when providing the shipping information for thepackage and associated the confirmation number with the package prior todropping off the package for delivery. In this example, the operator ofthe carrier device 105 may retrieve the shipping information includingthe confirmation number and verify that the received confirmation numbermatches the confirmation number associated with the package by the user.

c. Exemplary Carrier Device Operations

In various embodiments, the common carrier's system may include one ormore carrier devices 105 configured to perform various functions of theclaimed invention. For instance, the carrier may provide packagedelivery and collection personnel with a carrier device 105 thatincludes a shipping label application 440 to assist in performingvarious tasks. FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of the functionality ofthe shipping label application 440 for requesting shipping informationlinked to a smart code associated with a package to be shipped from acarrier server 104 and for generating a shipping label for the packagebased at least in part on the received shipping information, accordingto various embodiments. This flowchart may correspond to the stepscarried out by the processing device 408 of the carrier device 105 shownin FIG. 4 as the processing device 408 executes the shipping labelapplication 440 according to various embodiments.

According to various embodiments, an operator of a carrier device 105executing the shipping label application 440 may receive a packagehaving an associated representation of a smart code. In operation 700,the shipping label application 440 may be configured to capture thesmart code from the package or label. In some embodiments, the shippinglabel application 440 may capture the smart code using a barcodescanner, camera, or other optical scanning device associated with thecarrier device 105. For example, the shipping label application 440 maycapture a photograph of the smart code representation associated withthe package. In other embodiments, the shipping label application 440may receive the smart code as input from an operator of the carrierdevice 105. For example, an operator may manually enter the smart codeassociated with the package into an interface provided by the shippinglabel application 440 on the carrier device 105. In this example, theoperator may be able to read a non-encoded portion or version of thesmart code (e.g., a numeric or alphanumeric code) and type the smartcode into the shipping label application 440. In yet another embodiment,the shipping label application 440 may obtain the smart code associatedwith the package using alternative capture methods such as, for example,an RFID tag reader.

In operation 705, the shipping label application 440 may verify thevalidity of the captured smart code. In embodiments where the capturedsmart code representation comprises an encoded form of the smart code,the shipping label application 440 may first decode the smart code. Theshipping label application 440, according to example embodiments, mayperform error checking or other forms of verification on the decodedsmart code. For example, the shipping label application 440 may performa checksum function, hash function, and/or the like on the smart code,in some instances based on one or more check digits and/or parity bits.In an instance in which the verification fails, the shipping labelapplication 440 may be configured to repeat operations 700 and 705.

In operation 710, the shipping label application 440 may be configuredto send a request for shipping information to a server (e.g., a carrierserver 104). In this regard, the request may comprise an indication ofthe captured smart code to allow the carrier server 104 to retrieve therequested shipping information based at least in part on the smart code.In some embodiments, the smart code may be sent in encoded form if theshipping label application 440 is not configured to decode the smartcode.

In operation 715, the shipping label application 440 may receiveshipping information associated with the captured smart code from thecarrier server 104 in response to (e.g., after) the request. Theshipping information may have been determined based at least in part onthe smart code. In some embodiments, the shipping label application 440may receive a confirmation number or other verification numberassociated with the smart code. In these embodiments, the shipping labelapplication 440 may display the confirmation number to the operator sothat an operator may compare the confirmation number with a confirmationnumber associated with the package.

In operation 720, the shipping label application 440 may be configuredto generate a shipping label for the package based on the receivedshipping information. In this regard, the shipping information maycomprise sufficient information for the shipping label application 440to generate a shipping label without requiring any further input fromthe package. In some embodiments, the package may comprise additionalinformation to either supplement or confirm the shipping informationreceived, such as the confirmation number or destination address.

In operation 725, the shipping label application 440 may provide forprinting the shipping label. In some embodiments, the shipping labelapplication 440 may utilize an external printing device associated withthe carrier device 105 (e.g., wired or wirelessly) to print the shippinglabel. In other embodiments, the shipping label application 440 mayutilize a printing device integrated into the carrier device 105 toprint the shipping label. Once printed, the operator of the carrierdevice 105 may apply the shipping label to the package. The shippinglabel may, in some instances, obscure the smart code or, in otherinstances, be applied so that both the smart code representation andshipping label are visible.

In operation 730, the shipping label application 440 may be configuredto link the smart code with the tracking number of the shipping label.In this regard, the shipping label application 440 may use the smartcode, the tracking number, or both to track the package throughoperations to delivery. For example, a carrier may track the packageinternally using the smart code while providing the tracking number tothe user (e.g., customer) to track the package externally.

In operation 735, the shipping label application 440 may optionallyinitiate billing for the shipment of the package. In this regard, theshipping label application 440 may use the billing information in theshipping information received from the carrier server 104 to bill theuser for shipping the package. In some embodiments, the shipping labelapplication 440 may conduct the billing transaction, while in otherembodiments the shipping label application 440 may provide the billinginformation to another entity to conduct the billing transaction.According to various embodiments, the shipping label application 440 maynot initiate billing for the shipment of the package until the packagehas been delivered.

In operation 740, the shipping label application 440 may disassociatethe shipping information from the smart code associated with thepackage. In some embodiments, the shipping label application 440 maydisassociate the shipping information from the smart code associatedwith the package after applying the shipping label. In this regard, oncethe shipping label has been applied to the package, the smart code mayno longer need to be linked to the shipping information. In someembodiments, the shipping label may comprise optical codes of the sameor similar type as the smart code representation associated with thepackage. Thus, to avoid issues downstream during the shipping process,the smart code may be unlinked from any stored data to prevent confusingdata associated with other codes included on the shipping label. Inthese embodiments, the smart code may not be used for tracking thepackage through to delivery. In other embodiments, the shipping labelapplication 440 may not disassociate the shipping information from thesmart code associated with the package until the package is delivered.In these embodiments, the smart code may be used to track the packagethrough to delivery. For example, the smart code may be linked to atracking number of the package.

In other embodiments, the number of smart codes may be limited and,therefore, once the shipping information has been received by theshipping label application 440 and a shipping label has been generated,the smart code may be made available for association with anotherpackage and its shipping information. According to some embodiments, theshipping label application 440 may send a request to the carrier server104 to disassociate the shipping information from the smart code. Inthese instances, the carrier server 104 may be configured to perform thedisassociation.

CONCLUSION

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which theseinventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is tobe understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specificembodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments areintended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a genericand descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

That which is claimed:
 1. A carrier server comprising at least oneprocessor and at least one memory including computer program code, theat least one memory and the computer program code configured to, withthe processor, cause the carrier server to at least: receive shippinginformation, comprising a destination address, and an indication of asmart code associated with a package from a user device; link theshipping information to the smart code; receive a request from a carrierdevice for shipping information associated with the package, wherein therequest comprises an indication of the smart code; retrieve the shippinginformation associated with the package based at least in part on thesmart code; and transmit the shipping information to the carrier deviceto enable the carrier device to generate a shipping label for thepackage, based at last in part on the shipping information associatedwith the smart code, for applying the shipping label to the package. 2.The carrier server of claim 1, wherein prior to link the shipmentinformation, the at least one memory and the computer program code arefurther configured to, with the processor, cause the carrier server to:store the shipping information and the smart code, in association witheach other, in the memory of the carrier server.
 3. The carrier serverof claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer programcode are further configured to, with the processor, cause the carrierserver to: determine the smart code based at least in part on theindication of the smart code received.
 4. The carrier server of claim 1,wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code arefurther configured to, with the processor, cause the carrier server to:receive a request from the user device to schedule pick-up of thepackage, wherein the request comprises an indication of the location ofthe package; and arrange for dispatch of a carrier vehicle to thelocation to pick up the package.
 5. The carrier server of claim 1,wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code arefurther configured to, with the processor, cause the carrier server to:verify a validity of the smart code.
 6. The carrier server of claim 1,wherein the transmitted shipping information is sufficient to enable thecarrier device to generate the shipping label for the package withoutobtaining further information from the package.
 7. The carrier server ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codeare further configured to, with the processor, cause the carrier serverto: receive the shipping information in response to the user devicecapturing the indication of the smart code associated with the package.8. The carrier server of claim 1, wherein: the user device comprises amobile device.
 9. A method comprising: receiving, via at least oneprocessor of a communication device, shipping information, comprising adestination address, and an indication of a smart code associated with apackage from a user device; linking, via the at least one processor, theshipping information to the smart code; receiving, via the at least oneprocessor, a request from a carrier device for shipping informationassociated with the package, wherein the request comprises an indicationof the smart code; retrieving, via the at least one processor, theshipping information associated with the package based at least in parton the smart code; and transmitting, via the at least one processor, theshipping information to the carrier device to enable the carrier deviceto generate a shipping label for the package, based at last in part onthe shipping information associated with the smart code, for applyingthe shipping label to the package.
 10. The method of claim 9, whereinprior to linking the shipment information, the method further comprises:storing the shipping information and the smart code, in association witheach other, in a memory device of the communication device.
 11. Themethod of claim 9, further comprising: determining the smart code basedat least in part on the indication of the smart code received.
 12. Themethod of claim 9, further comprising: receiving a request from the userdevice to schedule pick-up of the package, wherein the request comprisesan indication of the location of the package; and arranging for dispatchof a carrier vehicle to the location to pick up the package.
 13. Themethod of claim 9, further comprising: verifying a validity of the smartcode.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitted shippinginformation is sufficient to enable the carrier device to generate theshipping label for the package without obtaining further informationfrom the package.
 15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:receiving the shipping information in response to the user devicecapturing the indication of the smart code associated with the package.16. The method of claim 9, wherein: the user device comprises a mobiledevice.
 17. A computer program product comprising at least onenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium havingcomputer-executable program code instructions stored therein, thecomputer-executable program code instructions comprising: program codeinstructions configured to receive shipping information, comprising adestination address, and an indication of a smart code associated with apackage from a user device; program code instructions configured to linkthe shipping information to the smart code; program code instructionsconfigured to receive a request from a carrier device for shippinginformation associated with the package, wherein the request comprisesan indication of the smart code; program code instructions configured toretrieve the shipping information associated with the package based atleast in part on the smart code; and program code instructionsconfigured to transmit the shipping information to the carrier device toenable the carrier device to generate a shipping label for the package,based at last in part on the shipping information associated with thesmart code, for applying the shipping label to the package.
 18. Thecomputer program product of claim 17, wherein prior to link the shipmentinformation, the computer program product further comprises: programcode instructions configured to store the shipping information and thesmart code, in association with each other, in the storage medium. 19.The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising: programcode instructions configured to determine the smart code based at leastin part on the indication of the smart code received.
 20. The computerprogram product of claim 17, further comprising: program codeinstructions configured to receive a request from the user device toschedule pick-up of the package, wherein the request comprises anindication of the location of the package; and program code instructionsarrange for dispatch of a carrier vehicle to the location to pick up thepackage.